Florastor Kids

I was recently invited by Mom Select to try out a new product called Florastor® Kids. I have to tell you, it actually came at a really good time. My kids have both been sick recently and both required antibiotics to kill the bacteria. Because I have had some pretty severe health problems due to overuse of antibiotics, I am very paranoid about the use of antibiotics for my children.

Florastor® Kids is a product that helps restore the good bacteria our childrens' bodies need to help their digestive and intestinal systems function properly.

Now for the technical part of the review:

Dr. James Sears, board-certified pediatrician, author and co-host of the CBS-TV show “The Doctors,” has recommended Florastor Kids to patients for years. Below are some of the answers he gave in a recent interview about the product:

• What is the active ingredient in Florastor Kids and how does it work? The active ingredient in Florastor Kids is a freeze-dried form of yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii lyo. It helps promote the growth of good microbiota, while attracting and removing pathogens from the intestines.
• Have any clinical tests been done to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Florastor Kids? Yes. The active ingredient in Florastor Kids, Saccharomyces boulardii lyo, has been studied in more than 40 clinical trials. Studies have been published in top medical journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and Gastroenterology magazine.
• How do the effects of Florastor Kids differ from those of bacteria-based probiotics, such as acidophilus? One of the key differences in a yeast-based probiotic, such as Florastor Kids, is that it can not be killed by antibiotics, and it, in turn, protects the body’s own flora during the course of antibiotic treatment to guard against antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea occurs when antibiotics disturb the natural balance of “good” and “bad” microbiota in the intestinal tract, causing harmful bacteria to grow far beyond their normal numbers.
• Why would a parent choose to treat a bout of diarrhea with Florastor Kids as opposed to an anti-diarrheal product? Anti-diarrheal medications such as loperamide (Imodium) are typically not recommended for young children. Florastor Kids helps remove toxins from the intestines and at the same time bolsters the body’s defense against the pathogens.

I was personally very glad to learn the Florastor Kids cannot be killed by antibiotics. We recieved and began using the product a week after both of my boys were done with their course of antibiotics. Little man always struggles with "gut issues" after the antibiotics. ALWAYS. I will tell you, Florastor Kids went to work immediately and he has never recovered from a course of antibiotics as quickly as he did with the Florastor Kids. After 2 days of using the powder, which I put in juice for him, his gut attacks disappeared. It was awesome for both of us. Little Man is very vocal and very grumpy when his tummy is rumbling and his booty is busy.

Because Florastor Kids is such an effective tool to deal with diarrhea, we decided to pick some up for our 72 hour emergency kits. It would be great to take along when you travel too

Florastor Kids is available in a box of 10 powder packets for a suggested price of $12.95 and in a box of 20 powder packets for a suggested price of $21.95.

In my opinion it is totally worth the price. Knowing there is a natural remedy available when my kids need help dealing with gut issues puts my mind at ease and the speed with which it worked makes it a worthwhile item to keep in my medicine cabinet.

You can find it at most pharmacies or check out the Florastor website to see who carries it in your area.

Stacy's Pita Chips

Hey All!! I received my box of Stacy's Pita Chips on Saturday. They were the Naked with Sea Salt Variety and I have to be honest, when I first tasted them I was a little unsure about them. My kids dove in and my husband really likes them. I thought they were a little plain. To me, they taste like a really good cracker. Then I decided to add some toppings and DANG! if that didn't change things up! I like that they stay crispy with a topping and I will admit that after munching on a few plain chips while adding the toppings, the untopped chips grew on me. They are really great as a healthy snack and would make a great appetizer! My kids helped me come up with topping ideas and we took a picture of our creations:

We tried them with Cottage Cheese (middle), Cream Cheese and Green Olives w/Pimentos (top), Peanut butter and jelly (right), Bruschetta style (bottom) and green chilis and grated cheese (left). Everyone had their favorite, I actually like them all.

Plain or topped, these are really good and healthy snacks. We are excited to try the Cinnamon Sugar flavor and will definitely be picking them up next time we hit the grocery store.

Yanni is Back and He brought Some Friends

I will start by saying I have had no previous experience with Yanni's music, I've always known him as some new Age instrumental guy, but never really followed him. So, this CD was really a happy surprise.

I liked knowing that the artists were asked to write their own lyrics to Yanni's instrumentals, a nice collaberative effort. Right off, the first track Omaggio grabbed my attention because it was so uplifting. Nathan Pacheco's voice really blends well with the instrumentals. I also liked the 2nd track with Leslie Mills, The Keeper. It's really upbeat and snappy and kept my attention. I found Chloe's song Set Me Free to be a nice ballad that was both relaxing and a bit haunting. It is definitely one of the more contemporary songs on the CD. While I love Ender Thomas' voice, I was sad that both of his songs were sung in Spanish. I would have liked to hear him sing something more contemporary in English.

All in all the CD is a nice, relaxed listen that I would enjoy in an adult setting, like at a casual dinner party or as background music in a nice restaurant. There was a point halfway through when I thought the songs kind of started to sound the same, but I will definitely keep this CD around for moments when I need to bring the stress level down.

Disney on Ice - Turns Out Mr. Incredible Can Skate!

One of the blessings this blog has given me is the opportunity to work with businesses like Feld Entertainment and Mom Central.

Feld Entertainment and Mom Central were nice enough to send us to Disney on Ice last week, where we had a wonderful time enjoying the Disneyland Adventure themed skating show.

I have to be honest, I was a little afraid that my boys might not be into ice skating. But they seemed excited by the fact that it was Disney related, as our recent first trip to Disneyland is still fresh in their minds.

When we got to the US Airways arena we were able to meet and visit with other Mom Bloggers from Mom Central. We met some really great folks (Melanie at My Little Patch of Sunshine and the Hartung Family whose blog address I misplaced!) and had a light dinner before the Incredibles showed up for pictures. Our family loves the Incredibles...we so identify with their family dynamic!

The boys were really interested in looking cool with their cousin, who was our guest for the night!

After shaking hands with Mr. Incredible we went to the arena and took our seats. The souvenir vendors were out in force and of course the kids had to have a souvenir, and thankfully Grandma gave me some pocket money for the event. The boys chose a Dash cup with a snowcone in it. Pretty cool.

The show itself was really fun, the storyline was the adventures of The Incredible family as they visited Disneyland. It was really fun to see the different parts of the park being represented as the show unfolded...Frontierland, Pirates of the Caribbean, even the Teacups were all part of the presentation! Of course Syndrome showed up to try create some chaos and Frozone showed up to assist the Incredibles. The special effects created with the lighting were really interesting and fun and the skaters were all very talented, doing jumps and spins and really giving their all to make a good show.

Remember a few posts back when I was wondering how Mr. Incredible would do on ice? Pretty darn good, let me tell ya! The out-of-shape Mr. Incredible was the in-shape guy with a big belly pad.

The little girl behind us loved, loved, loved the show and screamed her lungs out everytime a new Disney character popped out onto the ice. My boys thought her reaction was a bit extreme (I think the exact quote was "she was crazy and LOUD, mom!") but I thought she was really cute and it was hilarious to see her get so excited.

The Disney on Ice show is over here in Phoenix but it's still going on in other parts of the country! Here's a link with the show schedules. It is a really fun way to spend an evening and if you go to Ticketmaster.com you can still get tickets. be sure to enter the coupon code MOM to get a discount on a family 4-pack!

Feld Entertainment has been in business since the 1960's and run by the same family for 3 generations. They focus on quality family entertainment and along with Disney on Ice, they also put on Ringling Barnum and Bailey Circus and Disney Live shows. One of the things that impressed me about Feld Entertaiment is their contributions to communities they visit. Through their ticket donations, Feld has provided more than 330,000 children with an opportunity to attend one of their wonderful productions.